Colton will return to the Rolex 24 at Daytona in a BMW for the third consecutive year, but the NTT IndyCar star will be move to the GTD division this month at Daytona International Speedway.
Herta, who won the GTLM class with a BMW team in his 2019 Rolex 24 debut, will race for Turner Motorsport in the Jan. 30-31 race, the team announced Friday.
In addition to Herta, the four-driver lineup for the No. 96 BMW M6 GT3 will include Bill Auberlen (who became the winningest driver in IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship last season), Robby Foley and Aiden Read.
“I’m excited to be staying with BMW this year, and I appreciate the opportunity to drive the Turner Motorsport BMW M6 GT3,” Herta, 20, said in a release. “It’s going to be a new challenge for me racing in the GTD class, but I’m very much looking forward to cracking on with everyone.”
Herta made six IMSA starts with BMW Team Rahal Letterman Lanigan over the past two seasons. He set the fastest lap in GTLM during the 2019 Rolex 24, co-driving the No. 25 BMW M8 GTE to victory.
Herta, who drives in IndyCar for Andretti Autosport, has three IndyCar victories and a third-place finish in the points standings last year.
He began his sports car career with BMW three years ago as a member of the manufacturer’s junior program and as a test driver for BMW’s GTLM team, which reportedly won’t be running full time in IMSA this year.
Auberlen and Read return as full-time GTD drivers for Turner, and Read will race the endurance rounds.
“Our lineup for 2021 is stellar,” team principal Will Turner said in a release from Turner Motorsport, which will be celebrating its 400th start with BMW. “Bill Auberlen and Robby Foley have become quite the dynamic duo over the past few seasons, and I could not be happier to have them return for another season.
“For the Rolex 24, BMW NA facilitated Colton Herta signing on and his addition cannot be underestimated. Sometimes it feels like the last two decades have been a whirlwind, but I don’t want to miss the chance to thank BMW for their belief in the team and support to help Turner Motorsport reach 400 races and seven championships.”